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Action Comics Annual 1
| next = ''Action Comics Annual'' #2 }} "Skeeter" is the title to the first Annual edition of the ongoing superhero fantasy comic book series Action Comics. The story was written by John Byrne with artwork by Art Adams and inks by Dick Giordano. Adams & Giordano also rendered the cover art illustration to this issue. The story was colored by Petra Scotese and lettered by Albert DeGuzman. It was edited by Mike Carlin. This volume shipped with a November, 1987 cover date and carries a cover price of $1.25 per copy (US). Synopsis Batman has traced a series of Gotham City murders to a small town called Fayerville in South Carolina. He finds that the town is under the grip of a vampire and begins investigating. But because he's been working for three days straight, he decides he needs some help. He calls Metropolis and asks Clark Kent at the Daily Planet to get in touch with Superman. Superman flies to Fayerville and consults with local law enforcement concerning the recent rash of murders in the town. He learns that vampires are responsible for several grisly deaths. Batman finds a young girl named Skeeter, who had been running from some pitchfork wielding villagers. He tries to help the young girl, and she leads him back to her home. Her house is a ramshackle cabin and inside are the desiccated bodies of her parents. The bodies have been there for over a century. Batman comes to realize that Skeeter is the vampire that has been terrorizing Fayerville. She tries using hypnosis on him and lunges at him, pushing him outside the cabin into some quicksand. As Batman sinks, she leaves him for dead. Superman meanwhile begins rounding up all of the hypnotized living ghouls enslaved to the vampire. He corrals them all together and imprisons them inside of a makeshift barrier wall that he constructs from the earth around him. Skeeter encounters Superman and the two begin fighting. Superman forgets that he is vulnerable to the supernatural and Skeeter rakes her claws across his chest. She leaps upon him and prepares to turn him into a vampire. Batman comes up behind them and impales Skeeter with a stake destroying her. In the aftermath, Batman returns to Gotham City to take care of the remainder of Skeeter's progeny. He tells Commissioner Gordon that Skeeter (real name Ellie Mae Skaggs) became a vampire three days after the assassination of President Lincoln. She has been terrorizing Fayerville ever since. Batman prepares a hammer and stake as he stands over the coffins of Skeeter’s leftover vampires. Appearances * Superman, Kal-El * Batman, Bruce Wayne * James Gordon * Skeeter, Ellie Mae Skaggs * Clovis * Donnie * Greg * Mabel * Miss Carson * Vinnie * None * Humans * Kryptonians * Vampires * Gotham City * Metropolis :* Daily Planet * South Carolina * Coffin * Hammer * Pitchfork * Wooden stake * Claws * Fangs * Flight * Hypnosis * Super-speed * Superhuman durability * Superhuman strength * Corpse * Impalement Notes & Trivia * This issue is reprinted in the ''Superman: The Man of Steel'', Volume 6 trade paperback collection. * The tagline for this issue is "Cry Vampire". * This issue shipped to retailers on June 16th, 1987. * Superman appeared last in ''The Adventures of Superman'' #434. He appears next in ''Superman'', Volume 2 #11. * This issue establishes that Superman's vulnerability to magic includes vampire attack as well. * At this time, Batman does not yet know that Clark Kent is Superman. * Batman uses the word, Magpie, as a code word to identify himself to Superman. Magpie is the name of the villain that Superman and Batman fought in their first Post-Crisis team-up, as revealed in ''Man of Steel'' #3. * "Skeeter" is also the name of a dog featured in issues of the DC Comics title Preacher. * "Skeeter" is also the name of a character featured on the ABC television series Kyle XY. He was played by actor Rhys Williams. He appeared in the pilot episode of the series. Recommended Reading See also External Links *